Unfound Darkness
by justx-a-xkid
Summary: Harry's summer isn't off to a great start, especially the fact that the incident with Sirius is haunting his dreams when he sleeps. But there's one thing that's really dug into Harry's mind. Is Sirius really dead? Why didn't his body be left behind? What


_Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.  
  
Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing-Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...  
  
But Sirius did not reappear.  
  
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"  
  
He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out...  
  
But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.  
  
There's nothing you can do, Harry-"  
  
"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"  
  
"-it's too late, Harry."  
  
"We can still reach him-" Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go...  
  
"There's nothing you can do, Harry...nothing...he's gone."_  
  
BANG! Harry Potter awoke with a quick start to find himself laying on the floor. Sweat was dribbling crazily down his face, his breathing fast and shallow.  
This was only one of the many times that he had had that very same dream of that night his godfather was murdered.  
  
His eyes moved over to the window, which showed him a dark, starry night sky, which told him that he had still a long time to wait until morning.  
  
He lay himself back down his bed, attempting to shut his eyes, but with sweat dripping into them, it felt almost impossible.  
  
After many minutes of pondering, he began to feel his eyes get heavy. He could feel himself drifting off into another dimension. A different world, only to find himself in the very same spot in which Sirius had disappeared just weeks ago.  
  
Suddenly, the questions that had been swimming around in his head suddenly struck him again. If Sirius did die, why wasn't his body left behind? How Harry was going to find the answer to that, he never knew. But he felt like this could be his one last chance to figure out the truth.  
  
The black veil which Sirius had vanished behind fluttered in the windless room. He reached out his arm. He could feel his fingers graze it as it swayed. He felt his heart pounding vigorously against his chest.  
  
"HARRY POTTER!"  
  
Harry opened his eyes and squinted as the sun shone in on him. It was early morning. He could tell this by the smell of bacon cooking downstairs in the kitchen, and the loud and rather irritating voices of the Dursleys.  
  
He didn't know what Uncle Vernon could possibly want him for. They had left him alone every morning since he had got there for summer holidays. They had barely spoke in the past few weeks.  
  
He climbed off his bed and down the stairs to find Uncle Vernon standing at the foot of the stairs.  
  
"What do you want?" Harry snapped. He could feel his head pounding, and the only thing he wanted to do right now was to get some more sleep.  
  
"Why is there an owl perched on my window?" Uncle Vernon snipped, spitting. "I thought I told you enough times that I don't want to see owls around my house anymore. Did I not make myself clear before?"  
  
Harry looked over to the window, and saw a large, grey barn owl sitting upon the window sill, a letter held in its beak.  
  
"You made yourself clear, but I don't think the owls really like listening to you," Harry said smoothly, and before Uncle Vernon could comment, he took his last step down and walked over to the window.  
  
The owl hooted excitedly as Harry threw open the window, letting it hop inside.  
  
Uncle Vernon hurried over and slammed his hand down hard on Harry's shoulder. "What do you think you're doing, letting that bloody pidgeon into my house?"  
  
Harry swept Uncle Vernon's hand off of his shoulder and took the letter from the owl. "I was going to get the letter!" he snapped. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going off upstairs."  
  
Uncle Vernon watched as Harry strode off, looking outraged at how Harry had spoken to him, but didn't say a single word as Harry disappeared up the stairs.  
  
Harry hurried into his room and locked the door immediately before opening the letter. He took a quick look at the envelope, and saw Hermione's writing on the front. He quickly tore it open, in hopes for a hint that he had been invited to stay with Hermione for the remaining weeks. Her writing looked very hurried and sloppy, which was quite unusual for Hermione. He had difficulty reading the first few words, but he at last adjusted to reading it. It read:  
  
_Dear Harry,  
  
I'm terribly sorry for the horrible writing, but I'm kind of in a hurry, so I'll be making this quick.  
  
First of all, I hope you're doing okay, what with everything that has been happening lately. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been writing to you. My family and I have been all over the place lately. We're always busy.  
Anyways, we've been planning a trip to Little Whinging. My father needs to pick up something, and I figure that it could only be found there. Assuming that the Dursley's have been treating you like garbage, I had asked my mum if we could come and get you, and you can come stay at my house for the rest of the summer. She thought about it, and decided that you could stay, as long as you don't mind all the Muggle items laying about the house.  
  
I'm hoping that you will consider speaking to your Aunt and Uncle about this, as I look forward to seeing you.  
  
Much love,  
  
Hermione Granger_  
  
Harry grinned widely. This was just as he was hoping. Someone was going to come and take him away from the Dursleys. He didn't hesitate to throw his items into his trunk.  
  
Completely forgetting that he needed to speak to the Dursleys, he ripped out a piece of parchment and his quill, and began writing frantically.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
I look forward to seeing you when you arrive. Feel free to come by and get me.  
  
Harry  
  
He streaked across the room for Hedwig, who was hooting passionately at the sight of a letter.  
  
"Take this letter to Hermione straight away, and if she wants to reply, just wait. Don't make any stops between, unless it's for food, okay?" Harry whispered softly as he opened the cage door and let her hop out. She wrenched the letter out of Harry's hand and held it in her beak as she swooped out the window.  
  
Harry sat in his room for hours waiting for Hedwig to arrive back, anxious to know whether Hermione had responded to his letter.  
  
The sun began to set behind the houses of Privet Drive and the street lights flickered on. He began to wonder why Hedwig was taking so long. Hermione didn't live very far away from him.  
  
Harry stared out at the starry night, which was barely lit from the light of the moon. Where is she? Harry thought to himself, worried if something had happened to her. If the letter had gotten intercepted.  
  
He wasn't looking forward to knowing what would happen if the letter had gotten prevented from getting back to him. What if it had been taken and read by a Death Eater? They would know that he was still staying with the Dursleys. They would know where he was and would have absolutely no troubles of finding him.  
  
As the evening drew on and the sky was growing darker, Harry felt that he needed to get some sleep, but he refused to shut his eyes. He didn't feel like re-living out his godfather's death over again. Instead, he decided to take a walk outside. He knew that it wasn't the safest thing to do, but he couldn't stay inside any longer. He had been isolated from the rest of the world ever since he had arrived back at Number four three weeks ago.  
  
He quietly opened his door and tip-toed into the hallway. He could hear Uncle Vernon's snores echoing loudly from his and Aunt Petunia's room. However, he didn't hear the second snore that usually came from his overweight cousin, Dudley. He had a feeling where Dudley had been all evening. His usual excuse was that he had been at the Polkisses' for tea, when instead, he was at the park vandalising or beating on little kids.  
  
Harry slowly and carefully snuck down the stairs, and was sure to avoid the bottom step as it has always creaked when it was stepped on. He let out a sigh of relief as he let himself outside and shut the front door behind him.  
  
He didn't know where to go, but he just let his legs guide him through the dark streets. They took him into Magnolia Crescent, where it was much darker than it was on the main street.This made Harry feel very uneasy. He slowly placed his hand in his pocket and grasped his wand tightly, ready to pull it out at the slightest warning that something could be lurking behind him.  
  
Continuing down the sidewalk, he began to feel chilly and get shivers, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end. He heard something moving, but there was no sign of anything. There was a small muffling sound, and before he could do anything, someone had taken him down onto the ground.  
"_What the hell_-?" Harry snapped, looking around at the blurry outline of someone standing in front of him. His glasses had fallen off his nose, but heard someone's voice.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" said the voice. A hand came up in front of him which handed him his glasses. Harry slipped his glasses over his nose and found that the voice belonged to a young girl. "Are you okay?" she asked, holding her hand out again and pulling him to his feet.  
"I think so," Harry said. He wasn't very excited to have been tackled to the ground by a complete stranger. "What was that all about anyways, and who are you?"  
  
The girl swept her silver-blonde hair out of her face. "You didn't see it?" she asked, surprised. "Wow, you could have died if I hadn't tackled you down!" She let out a derisive laugh and grinned. "I'm terribly sorry. I just saw that it was headed straight towards you, and I couldn't help but move you out of the way. It's a reflex, I guess."  
  
Harry swept the dust off of his shirt. "Well, I'd appreciate a warning next time, thanks," he said irritably.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry for saving your life!" the girl bellowed, and whipped around.  
  
"Wait!" Harry said, putting his hand on her shoulder to stop her from storming away. "Sorry...thanks. What was it you saved me from, though?"  
  
The girl turned around and sighed, "From the death curse!" Her eyes were wide and horrified. "I don't know who cast it, and I don't think I want to know. We should get out of here anyways. Where abouts do you live?"  
Harry glared at her for a moment, but answered. "Number 4, Privet Drive."  
  
She looked at Harry for a quick second. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Yes, why?" Harry asked.  
  
She shrugged. "Just wondering. I noticed your scar. I'm Willow Malfoy." She smiled at Harry and shook his hand. When she let go, she grumbled. "You know my cousin, Draco, then, I assume?"  
  
Harry's eyes shot straight at her own. "You're Draco Malfoy's cousin?" This came at a great shock to him. If she was a Malfoy, he was terribly surprised that it was her that had just saved his life. That it was her that had made sure that he hadn't lost his life at sixteen years old. "Well, if you're a Malfoy, why didn't you just leave me to die?"  
  
Willow slapped him across the arm, making it sting painfully. "Don't you dare associate me with those junkheads! None of my family will ever be associated with them!"  
  
"Well, sorry! I'm just surprised that you saved my life!" Harry said.  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah," Willow said impatiently. She began pushing Harry out of Magnolia Crescent. "You're welcome. Now let's get YOU out of here! What do you think you're doing, wandering around at this time of night? See what happens when you're Harry Potter?" She continued to push him all the way back into Privet Drive, and they stopped right in front of their house. "Now get inside, and I don't think you should come back outside until after sunrise. You never know what's out there." And before Harry could say a single word to her, she sprinted off into the darkness, her blonde hair flowing behind her.  
  
Harry turned around on the step and threw the door wide open. He didn't want to know what it had been that had attempted to curse him, but whatever it was wanted him dead. Had Willow been following him the whole time?  
  
When he stepped inside the house, what he saw made his heart jolt in horror. The Dursleys stood at the door, Uncle Vernon's large plum face turning purple. Harry felt Uncle Vernon's hands yank on the collar of Harry's shirt and pull him forward so that their noses were inches away.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, wandering around at this time of night?" Uncle Vernon spat, his bushy moustache quivering. "Someone could have seen you! What was that green flash of light all about? What were you doing?"  
  
Harry forced himself out of Uncle Vernon's grasp and fell a few inches back onto the ground. "I was simply taking a walk," Harry answered casually. He tried to head back up the stairs, but was stopped by Uncle Vernon.  
  
"Did you do anything while you were out there?" His Uncle's eyes narrowed suspicously as he continued to stare menacingly at Harry.  
  
"No!" Harry answered. "I swear! I didn't do anything!"  
Uncle Vernon didn't answer. He just kept his eyes lingering on him.  
  
He could feel his skin heating up. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Harry yelled as loud as he could, and went up the stairs before anyone could stop him.  
Harry slammed his bedroom door shut, making the wall quaver from the force. His heart was pounding madly against the inside of his chest, and his ears were heating up. He wished that Hermione would come now. Hedwig still hadn't returned, which made Harry very uneasy. The curse...it might have been a sign that the letter did get intercepted and someone had found him. This was something he thought necessary to discuss with Hermione when he saw her, but for now, all he needed was to get some good rest.  
  
Morning came upon him very quickly, he felt as if he had only had a few hours sleep. He threw the covers over his face as the sun shone brightly through the window. "I don't want to wake up!" he grumbled, as though someone was badgering him to get out bed.  
  
BANG! Harry jumped at the echoing sound of his door as it swung wide open. He threw his glasses on over his eyes and found Uncle Vernon storming into his room. "What are you doing?" Harry yawned, getting off his bed.  
  
"Get out of bed now, boy!" Uncle Vernon said hurriedly. He had never acted like this before. His expression was both scared and worried. "We're leaving now!"  
"Where are we going?" Harry said, understanding that this was urgent, running over to his dresser to grab his clothes.  
  
"Anywhere away from here!" Uncle Vernon said. He whipped around and when he found Harry digging through his drawers, he grabbed the back of Harry's pajama's and dragged him out. "We have no time to doddle! Now let's go!"  
  
Harry wrenched himself out of grasp and stopped. "What's going on?" He didn't hesitate to pull his wand out of his pocket.  
  
"PUT IT AWAY!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, his eyes going wide. He attempted to cover Harry's wand out of sight.  
  
Harry ran down the stairs ahead of his Uncle, only to find Aunt Petunia and Dudley hurrying to the back door, tears running down their faces. He had decided to follow them out the door and into the backyard. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" He waited for either of them to answer, but his question was soon explained to him. The sight he saw made his stomach sink. Death Eaters were roaming around Privet Drive, shooting curses in all directions. He lifted his wand high and jumped over the gate.  
  
"What are you doing?" Uncle Vernon yelled, trying to hoist himself over as well. "What if someone sees you? Put it away!" He picked a rock up off the ground and threw it directly at Harry, hitting him square in the back of the head.  
  
Harry didn't hesitate to run, his wand held high. "LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE!" Harry yelled, his hands unsteady. "THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! PICK ON SOM-" Harry was once again tackled to the ground as he had been the previous evening. This time, however, he looked up and saw that it wasn't Willow who had taken him down. He recognized the brown bushy hair, telling him that it was Hermione.  
  
She had her back turned to him, with her wand raised high in the air.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry said, surprised. "When did you get here?"  
  
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Nevermind that right now. We've got to get you out of here. Now come on!" she said, dragging Harry along behind her. "We've got to get back to my house immediately. Do your Aunt and Uncle have a fireplace in the house?" She didn't wait for him to answer. She simply continued to pull him into the Dursleys house.  
  
"Yeah, but, do you have Floo Powder?" Harry asked her, jogging to keep up with her pace.  
  
"Of course! How do you think I got here?" Hermione gave Harry a small grin over her shoulder as they entered the living room. She dug through her pockets and pulled out a small bag filled with a grey powder. She sprinkled some of the powder into Harry's hand, along with her own. "You go first," Hermione said urgently, looking over her shoulder out the window at the mayhem happening outside.  
  
Harry gave her a look as if she had gone insane. "Hermione, what if they-" but he was immediately cut off by her.  
  
"No need to worry about me. I'll be there right after you," she said, carelessly throwing her wand into her pocket. "My house is simply known as the Granger Residence. Hurry up! The Ministry only opened up our fireplace to Floo Powder for an hour! Go!" And with that, Harry toppled into the fireplace. He looked up at Hermione's face, and she had a look of great hurry on her face. "Hurry up!" she whispered.  
  
There suddenly came banging on the front door. Someone was attempting to open the door.  
  
"Harry! The charm I put on the door doesn't last for long! Now get moving!" Hermione exclaimed. She seemed to have read Harry's mind when she told him that his bags and Hedwig will make it to him, but for now, all she wanted him to do was to leave.  
  
"What about you? What if one of the Death Eaters comes after you? What are you going to do?" Harry said, stumbling out of the fireplace and grasping Hermione's upper arms tightly.  
  
Hermione let out a loud groan. "Harry! They're not after me! It's you their after! That's why I'm trying to get you out of here and somewhere where they won't find you!" she told him, her voice shaking. She yanked herself away from Harry and pushed him into the fireplace. "Now go!"  
  
Harry took a deep breath and dropped the Floo Powder. The moment he yelled his destination, he felt a great jolt as he was lifted off the ground. The usual spinning sensation came over him as he watched millions of fireplaces flash before him. He took a step forward and next thing he knew, he was laying flat on a stone floor. Before he could move, Hermione fell and landed on top of him.  
  
"Sorry," she said, and with that, she got to her feet and brushed the ashes off her clothes. Hermione turned to look at Harry, who was still lying in the fireplace. She grinned at him and walked away.

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MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA I have successfully finished chapter 1!!!!:D:D:D Yes, the reason Willow was there and tackled Harry down...shall whispers remain a mystery until later in the fic! So bagagaga if you want to know what's REALLY going on, you'll need to continue reading! So yea, don't forget to review if you read this!:) It'd be greatly appreciated!:D


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